Automatic loom



Dec. 20, 1938. J. c. BROOKS Aurom'rxp LO0M Filed June\2, 1937 ssneet-shut 1 IN VE N TOR JOHN C. 5200/6 BY. ATTORNEY.

Dec. 20, 1938.

J. c. BROOKS AUTOMATIC LOOK? Filed June 2, 19:57

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR JOHN C. BROOKS FMMW ATTORNEK Dec. 20, 1938. J.c. BROOKS 2,140,393

AUTOMATIC LOOM Filed June 2, 1937 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG. .5

INVENTOQ FIG.4

JOHN C. BROOKS ATTORNEY.

Patenbd Dec. 20, 1938 Z,l40,893 I AUTOMATIC noon. John 0. Brooks,Paterson, N'.1J., assignorto rporati ollins&AikmanOo 3a., a corporationof Delaware on, Philadelphia,

Application June 2, 1937, Serial No. 145,950 I 11- Claims. (01. 189-241)This invention relates to automatic looms and has for its object toprovide such looms with facilities to greatly increase their ability toproduce fabrics, greatly economize in the space 5 they occupy, mechanismthey involve, power they expend and general weaving costs.

More particularly, this invention has reference to multi-shed looms withautomatic weft replenishing mechanism so positioned that a shuttle andbox may move after the shuttle is boxed from a position out of registryinto a position in registry with replenishing mechanism before theshuttle is again picked across the weaving shed. As an illustration ofmy invention, I have selected a loom in which replenishment is initiatedby a weft fork, but it is to be understood that the inventioncontemplates the use of feelers and other known initiating means. Inlooms operating with a feeler motion to cause transfer of a fresh weftsupply into the shuttle, the weft fork is used to stop the loom on-thetotal absence of weft as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

The present embodiment uses a weft fork to cause the transfer of a freshsupply into the shuttle and does not act to stop the loom, such stoppage.being necessary only upon the total absence of weft supply in thesupply magazine. I

An object of this invention is to provide a plurality of aligned shuttleboxes which are moved transversely relativeto each other for the purposeof facilitating bobbin replenishment.

A further object is to provide two superposed shuttle boxes, eachaligned with a weaving shed position and replenishing mechanism toreplenish a shuttle in a shuttle box out of registry position therewithduring normal weaving.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will be manifest fromthe detailed description of the attached drawings, wherein Fig. 1 is afront view of an embodiment of my invention applied to a loom.

' Fig. 2 is a sectional left-end view through line XX 01' Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a similar view but showing a new supplyof weft transferredinto the shuttle.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the lower left-hand shuttle box.

Fig. 5 is a detailed right-hand end view showing a deflector for adischarged weft carrier.

Fig; 6 is a view of a picking arm and picking b Referring first moreparticularly to Fig. 1 of the drawings, A indicates the vertical outsideloom frame to which is secured the front breast t5 beam B. Secured tothe breast beam is casing shaft 9, held in bearings it, fast on lay l.

C to hold slide D carrying thev weft fork E, playing on hammer lever F,which in the well-known manner contacts with grid G. While I show only agrid on the top lay, itfis to be understood that a grid is alsoassociated with the bottom lay. s

The foregoing parts, along with the reed H, reed cap I which is securedto sword arms J, are all usual parts of a loom.

Important features of this invention include two non-shifting shuttleboxes, one at each end of the loom lay for the top cloth and for thebottom cloth a non-shifting shuttle box at one end of the bottom lay anda transversely slidable shuttle box at the other end of the bottom lay,suitably guided and arranged to move forward to receive a full weftcarrier; discharge the empty weft carrier and move backward into anormal weaving position before the shuttle held therein is again pickedacross the warp shed.

The lower loomlay i is somewhat of the regular construction and isprovided with a regular shuttle box 2, Fig. 5, at the right-hand of thelay. At the left-hand end of the lay are horizontal grooves l.

The lower left-hand shuttlebox l is'formed as 2 a separate member bentto shape and is provided with under ribs 5 and upper ribs 6. The ribs Iengage with end grooves 3. These-ribs 5 and i project rearwardly fromthe box I for purposes hereafter explained. This shuttle box I, whichslides forward and backward as required, may be provided with a usualbinder on its back walland has projecting from its lower front portionarms 1 in which engage levers 8 mounted on a Fast also on shaft 9 isanarm II which serves to cause a'predetermined movement to said shaft 9and pull forward shuttle box 4 with its boxed shuttle. Carried inbearings I2l3, fast on loom frame A is a shaft it provided with an armII 40 adapted to predeterminedly engage arm II on I the aforesaid shaft9. Fast also on the shaft ll is'a lever arm it in engagement with weftfork rod D. Thus, as is well understood in the weaving art, if the weftthread fails to intercept the weft fork in its engagement with grid G,the

" hammer lever F will engage fork E and cause lay I, causing transferarm 20 pivoted on stud ll which is fast in bracket 22, to transfer aweft bobbin 23 from its holder 24 into the shuttle containedin box 4. Asthe transfer arm 20 is released from its contact mechanism, it willmove, by pull of the usual spring (not shown), to its upper positionduring which time contact member 25 will engage arm 26 of lever 21 andpull out finger 28 and push in finger 29, thus allowing bobbin 3! todrop to the bottom ofholder 24 and bobbin 30 to be held up by finger 29.A spring 32, in front end of holder 24, retains bobbin 3| until actedupon by transfer arm 20 and is delivered to its respective shuttle;

As stated before, the weft fork is used in this embodiment only to causea transfer of a fresh weft supply and does not act to stop the loom. Inlooms operating with a feeler motion to cause thetransfer of a freshsupply, the weft fork is used to stop the loom on the total absence ofweft between the fork and the grid. In the embodiment illustrated, theonly need to stop the loom in connection with weft is upon total absenceof a weft supply in the holder 24. To stop the loom in the event ofabsence of weft in the magazine, there is pivoted in the inner end ofholder 24 a member 33 in line of contact with a lever 34, suitablypivoted and positioned to avoid contact when under influence of member33, held outwardly by a bobbin resting in the lower end of holder 24,but in the absence of such a bobbin, the lever 34 is arranged to contactwith any well-known loom stopping mechanism to stop the loom.

The shuttle box 4 is provided in its left-hand,

end portion with an opening 35, Fig. 4, to avoid frictional resistancefrom the picking stick 36 when the box 4 is moved outwardly to allow theshuttle therein to receive the new supply of weft. This constructionallows the picking stick 36 to remain in contact with both the top andbottom pickers during the transverse movement of the lower box. Slidingthe lower box forward without movement of the picker stick therewith isthereby accomplished and disengagement of the shuttle point and pickermay be performed by means well known in conventional shifting-boxconstructions.

As may be clearly seen in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the lower end of thesupply magazine 24 is forwardly of the path of normal movement of theshuttle boxes whenthey are both in picking positions. A bracket 31, faston the back of lay l, serves to hold the end of a spring 38, having itsother end fast to the extreme rear-end extensions 39 of ribs 5 and 6,and with this spring insures the return of the shuttle box 4 to itsnormal weaving position when released from its actuating mechanism. Faston the front of lay I are supporting brackets 40 which serve to supportthe shuttle box 4 against the pressure exerted as the new weft supply isbeing forced into the shuttle. Thus, as the box 4 is moved forward, theribs 5 and 6 serve to control the position of the box and with the aidof supporting brackets 40, give a strong resistance to the pressureexerted as the new supply of weft is inserted into the shuttle. Theribs'5 and 6 serve to steady the box 4 in its normal weaving position.

Secured to the sword arms J is an upper lay 50 provided in its left-handbottom part with grooves 5| in which play the ribs 6 of box 4. On itstop, at each end are formed normal shuttle boxes 52, 51, the centerportion 54 of this lay 50 being cut away to provide a space 55 in whichto form a warp shed and to leave a support 56 for the top shuttle 53 asit travels from box to box. In operation. the shuttles or weft carriersmay be picked in opposite'directions to each other or as illustrated inFig. 2, in the same direction. Where replenishment of the upper weftcarrier is done on the side opposite themovable lower box, there may beprovided under the box 51 a deflector 58, Fig. 5, operable from anyconvenient part of the loom, which when moving into the path of theoutgoing pirn, deflects the pirn laterally so that it does not passthrough the lower box. The weft replenishing means for this top shuttle53 may be of any desired description as is known in the art, or asbriefly outlined in the drawings, may be a duplication of the mechanismshown for operation with shuttle box 4 by omitting all the partsrelating to moving said shuttle box To give an even throw to bothshuttles when they are picked in opposite directions at the same time,the picking rollers BI, 62 on picking arm 40, Fig. 6, are located atslightly different distances from the center length of their arm tooffset the different distances of the pickers 63, 64, Fig. 1, from theend of their picking stick 36. The pickers 63, 64, are of differentlengths to equalize traveling distances of the weft carriers.

While I have shown and described the selected method of carrying out myinvention, I do not wish to be limited thereto, but what I do claim is:

1. In a loom utilizing a pair of simultaneously active weft carriersweaving in different sheds, weft replenishing mechanism, a pair ofaligned weft-carrier receiving boxes at one side of the loom, meanssupporting said boxes and arranged to permit one of said boxes to bemoved out of alignment with the said other box and means to move saidmovable box out of alignment with the said other box and into registrywith weft replenishing mechanism, whereby the latter may replenish theweft carrier insaid movable box without interference from said otherbox.

2'. In a loom in accordance with claim 1, wherein the aligned weftcarrier receiving boxes are superposed during normal weaving.

3. In a loom in accordance with claim 1, wherein the aligned weftcarrier receiving boxes are superposed during normal weaving and thelower box is a movable box.

4. In a loom in accordance with claim 1, including initiating means forthe box moving means and the replenishing mechanism.

5. In a loom in accordance with claim 1 including retracting means toreposition the'movable box and weft carriers before the next throw ofthe weft carriers across the loom.

6. In a loom in accordance with claim 1, wherein the weft replenishingmechanism comprises a weft supply magazine, a bobbin support on saidmagazine having a replenishment registry position forwardly of the pathof movement of the movable box during normal weaving.

7. In a loom utilizing a plurality of simultaneously active weftcarriers weaving in different sheds, weft replenishing mechanism, aplurality of aligned weft-carrier receiving boxes at one side of theloom, means supporting said boxes and arranged to permit the said boxesto be moved out of alignment with one another and means to disalign saidboxes so that a box is positioned in registry with the weft replenishingmechanism, whereby the latter may replenish a weft carrier in saidlast-named box without interference from another box.

8. In a loom utilizing a plurality of simultaneously active weftcarriers weaving in diflerent sheds, weft replenishing mechanism, aplurality.

of superposed aligned weft-carrier receiving boxes at one side of theloom, means supporting said boxes and arranged to permit the said boxesto be moved transversely out of alignment with one another and means todisaiign said boxes so that a box is moved into registry with the weftreplenishing mechanism, whereby the latter may replenish a weft carrierin said last-named box without interference from another box.

9. In a loom utilizing a pair of simultaneously active weft carriersweaving in different sheds,

weft replenishing mechanism, a pair of aligned weft-carrier receivingboxes at one side of the loom, means supporting said boxes and means topermit one of said boxes to be moved transversely relative to the otherbox and out of alignment therewith and means to move said movableboxtransversely relative with the said other box and out of alignmentwith said other box and into registry with the weft replenishingmechanism,

whereby the latter may replenish the weft carrier in said movable boxwithout interference from said other box.

10. In a. loom utilizing a pair of simultaneously active shuttlesweaving in different sheds, weft replenishing mechanism having a bobbintransi'errer portion, picking means for picking the shuttles in alignedrelationship through the shed, a pair of superposed aligned shuttleboxes on the same side of the loom as the said replenishing mechanism,supporting means for-the shuttle boxes, means to disalign the shuttleboxes transversely of each other after the shuttles pass alignedposition before the next operation of the picking means.

JOHN C. BROOKS.

